Swifts: a bird you can help – is the title of a zoom presentation by Edward Mayer and organised by BirdLife Malta.
Edward Mayer will be helping BirdLife Malta to celebrate World Swift Day, [1] which is on the 7th of June. World Swift Day is a global celebration of the Swift – this most fascinating and mysterious of birds whose survival is threatened.
Many European and migratory bird species are in trouble and are facing severe declines. During this informative presentation Edward will be talking through the various complex reasons for this issue. The Zoom event is on Saturday, the 5th of June, [2] between 7pm and 8pm.
This issue that is beyond the ability of one person to solve, however during this presentation Birdlife Malta said that it will be focusing on Swifts. Swifts are a bird that the public can personally help, and are also a frequent visitor to Malta.
Edward Mayer is a Swift & Urban Wildlife Conservationist who has been studying Swifts for years and has given many talks over the years.
In 2003 Edward Mayer pioneered an approach to preserving the future of the Swift through advice, talks and the encouragement of widespread volunteer action. He studied the efforts of Swift experts in Germany, and began his work by creating “London’s Swifts” – an internet-based advice service focusing on how to preserve existing nest sites and create new provision.
It was such a success that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) asked him to make it a national service and Swift Conservation [3] was born.
BirdLife Malta explained that after getting a request for help from Spain, Edward widened its scope to cover Europe. Edward’s previous career helped. For 12 years he had managed the property, infrastructure and facilities of the Tate Gallery.
As Swifts are now dependent on holes in buildings for nesting, his work at the Tate gave Edward the expertise for practical discussions with builders, architects, and those responsible in local government for planning, biodiversity policy and the conservation of old buildings; all of whom have influence on the survival of these charismatic birds.
BirdLife Malta said that this presentation will be best suited for 14+ due to the scientific language Edward will be using, he will also be discussing the mating techniques of Swifts. Anyone is welcome to join “but please do bear this in mind.”
Participants and members interested in joining can book a screen for the Zoom presentation by registering their details by clicking here [4], by no later than the 3rd June 2021.
A link will then be sent 24 hours prior to the presentation. Those participating should ensure they have the relevant Zoom Video Conferencing app installed on their devices.